Key holder



S. LEFF Dec. 6, 1949 KEY HOLDER Filed Dec. 50, 1948 INVENTOR "lll- 'Ill Patented Dec. 6, 1949 UNITED STATES TENT orrlce 7 Claims.

This invention relates to key holders.

It is an object of the invention to provide a key holder which comprises extremely few and very simple parts and can be made by mass produc" tion methods and assembled by comparatively unskilled labor so that it can be manufactured and sold at a low price.

It is another object of my invention to provide key holder of rugged and durable construcion.

It is a further object of my invention to provide a compact, thin key holder of pleasing appearance.

It is an additional object of my invention to provide a key holder which is light and easy to manipulate.

It is still another object of my invention to provide a key holder which is so dimensioned and constructed that when grasped for turning a key in a lock, the manual pressure applied to the key holder is transmitted directly to the tang of the key so that the key is rmly gripped during its operation.

Other objects of my invention will in part be obvious and in part will be pointed out hereinafter.

My invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combinations of elements and arrangements of parts which will be exemplied in the key holder hereinafter described and of which the scope of application will be indicated in the appended'claims.

In the accompanying drawings in which is shown one of the various possible embodiments of my invention,

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a key holder constructed in accordance with my invention, the key being illustrated in retracted position;

Fig. 2 is a side view thereof;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view through the key holder, the same being taken substantially alongv the line 3-3 of Fig, 2;

Figs. 4 and 5 are sectional views taken substan-. q tially along the lines 4-4 and 5 5, respectively,4

of Fig. 3;

rig. e 1S a view similar to Fig. 3 but with the key shown in extended position;

Fig. 7 is a sectional View taken substantially A along the line 'I-l of Fig. 6;

Fig. 8 is an exploded view showing the insides 2 Referring now in detail to the drawings and more particularly to Figs. 1 through 8, the reference numeral IB denotes a key holder embodying my invention and comprising three elements only, to-wit, a housing I2, a spring I4 and a key post I6.

The housing I2 preferably is made in two halves I8, 20 (Fig. 8) which are mirror images of one another so that only one half I8 need be described. The corresponding parts of the other half 20 are denoted by the same reference numerals primed.

The housing half I8 is fabricated from some inexpensive material and in accordance with the preferred form of my invention is molded from a plastic material, for example, any one of the well known synthetic plastics such as cellulose acetate, ethyl cellulose, ethyl cellulose butyrate, an acrylic resin, styrene, a phenol formaldehyde resin or a urea formaldehyde resin. Due to its simple shape and non-critical dimensions and to the absence of above normal temperatures during its ordinary use, I have found it most convenient to make the housing halves from a thermoplastic resin by injection molding.

flange 32 which, in conjunction with the flange 32 on the half 20, cooperate to dene a thin space between the two walls 22, 22 when the housing halves are registered and abutted with the rails facing one another.

-One side edge, for example the edge 26, has

a shallow indentation 34 through which the tang 36'of the key K is adapted to project when the key is retracted within the key retainer in a fashion later described. In order that the tang of the key may be visible and accessible through the indentation, the flanges 32, 32 are interrupted at said indentations.

The slot 24 terminates at an outer end 38 located on the longitudinal center line of the l housing half I8. The inner end 48 of said slot, however, is differently arranged, running into a laterally extending branch 42 which slopes, at

least to a slight extent, in a direction back to- *Y ward the outer end of the housing. The tip of this laterally extending branch is transversely offset from the longitudinal and central axis of the housing by at least slightly more than the width of the slot.

As a result of the foregoing construction, the edge 44 of the branch 42 makes an angle of less than 93 with the edge 46 of the slot 24 nearer to the edge 26 of the housing in which the indentation 34 is present, and an element slidable in the slot can by proper manipulation have more than one half thereof received in the branch.

On the inside surface of the housing, means is provided to accommodate the spring I4 in both its expanded and compressed conditions. Said means is in the form of a shallow elongated broad cavity 48 symmetrically disposed with respect to the slot 24. The cavity 48 terminates at one end in the base portion of the flange 32 and at its other end in a wall 59 comprising, by way of example, a rib integrally formedwith and projecting from the inside surface of the wallv 22. Said rib runs in a direction across the slot 24 and is interrupted thereby.

In order to lighten the housing and emonomize in the use of plastic, the cavity 48 has its two long sides formed Iby ribs 52, 54 which, like the rib B, are integrally formed with and extend from the inside surface of the wall 22. Attention is calledV to the fact that the ribs 50, 52, 54 are ofa lesser height than the flange 32 in order to permit the tang of the key to slide on said ribs. Inasmuch, as will be appreciated hereinafter, the tang of the key never moves innerwise beyond a position in which the central opening 55 in the key tang extends below the branch 42, all portions of the ribs 52, 54 which are beneath the tang in such position, i. e., the portionsy 56, 58,l are made equal inV height to the flange 32. The ribs 52, 54 may be extendedin an outward direction to constitute' the portions S9, 52 on. which the tang ofthe key isi supported as. the key moves toward and is disposed in its fully projected posi.- tion (see Fig. 6). These ribs may run as far as the outer edge 64 of the 22.

It is within the scope of my invention' to have the cavity 43 which contains the spring I4 constitute the entire space. defined by the' flange 32. However, it will be understooda's the` description proceeds, that the fabrication and' operation of the key holder is simplified by having the spring of a width somewhat less than the full permissible width defined by the two side` portions of said flange.

The housing I2 also includes a cam portion inl the form of a rib 65 whose purpose soon will' be' obvious. The cam rib G6 is integrally formed with and extends from the inside surface of the wall' 22 being disposed on the oppositeside of. said wall from the indentation 34.. The rib 66 is so angularly disposed thatia member.' moving from the outer portion-ofthe housingstoward the innerend of the housing'upon striking saidfrib Thefribv willbe deflected toward theV indentation. 65 is high enough to befencountered bythe tang?- ofakey moving Within the' housing and to this" end said rib may be as high asV the-flange 32.

Ifv desired, suitable means may be included'to"V which enables it to be disposed within the cavity 48 formed for its reception. Thus, if desired, a flat leaf spring can be used consisting of several substantially parallel sections joined by return bends. This spring can be compressed to permit a key to be thrust all the way into the iousing up to the point (shown in Fig. 3) that the tang of the key is aligned transversely with the indentation 34. Said spring moreover is so arranged that in -its fully expanded position, it spans a space greater than the distance between the inner end of the housing and the rib so that, in the absence of any restraining force, the spring I4 automatically will thrust the key to its fully projected position (see Fig. 6) in which the central aperture in the key is at the outer end 38 of the slot 24.

The spring (see Fig. 4) may be so thick that it substantially fills the space between the two walls 22, 22 and, in any event, with the type of construction shown is thicker than the'key so thatit is captively held within its cavity. How'- ever, if the spring-receiving; cavity constitutes all orsubstantially all of thev space betweenthe side portions of the flange 32, the spring may be'- made thinner than the key to permit it to override the camming element 66; In such event, other suitable means, such for instance as suit= ably placed projections on the'wall 22, can'be provided to engage one or more of the lower' transverse reaches of the springend thus captively retain the springY in thehousing.A

The key post I E comprises two parts, eachl part containing one half of a rapidly attachable and detachable interengaging means.- Thus; said post,- as shown, includes a stub spindle 10 which desirably is of circular cross-sectional configura; tion having a diameter such` that the spindle makes' a sliding' fit with the slots-'24,l 24 and thev reaches 42, 42. Saidspindle isV provided with ahead T2at itsoutside end andfits inner endhas a tapped bore'14 into'whi'chl al headed screw 16 is threadable. The length of the' spindle be tween its head 12. and the head of the screw T6 is-slightly inV excess of the'I thickness of the house housing half 20 is placed over the housing half' I8 containing'thespring.' and the tw'o halves ar'e joined to one another inany suitable fashion'well known for the joining of plastics, for`instance, by an autogenous jointi for'r'nedwith theI aid4 of heatl or' solvent, o'r by;v using a plastic? cment. The'spindle lo'then isintroduced into the slot1'2'4 at the end 38 from one side o`f the housing'ialndthe Screw Bl introduced ltoithf'slot- 2'4'l fro'ii the! opposite' side off thefhousingi, the*- tw'o'pa'r'ts of the post being threadedly interengagedi- When itis! desired tb'niount a; key, the two parts of the posts are disengaged andvthe'key tang isslipped through the'outer open e'ndfo'f the housing between the extension rib's' 60, 62; 62'.. Thecentral opening 55'in the key' tang is'registered with-the 'slots24, 24 nea'r the' outer ends 38, 33 thereof. Then the parts of the post' are reassembled with the spindlef 'l'extendng through said 'central opening.4 At this'A time'the f 751various parts are in the positions illustrated'iri Fig. 6, the rib 50 being so disposed that it halts outward movement of the free end of the spring just'before the hole in the key tang moved is aligned with the outer ends 38, 38' of the slots 24, 24. Such arrangement permits ready mounting of a key in the key holder without allowing the key to shake noticeably when ready for use.

To move the key to retracted position, the key simply is pushed inwardly toward the bottom of the housing. As the key approaches its retracted position, the tang of the key engages the camming rib 56. Said rib is so located with respect to the tang of the key that the tang is contacted when the key post i6 is opposite the mouth of the reach 42. Thus, as the key is pushed inwardly, the key, on reaching its retracted position, is displaced by the rib 66 in the direction of the indentation 34. This will cause the key post to shift into the reach 42, a distance at least slightly greater than the radius of the key post.

If manual pressure on the tip 18 of the key now is released, the spring I4 will urge the key outwardly and in so doing will urge the key further into the reach due to the inclination of the edge 44 of said reach. This action, therefore, detains the key in retracted position.

Due to the location and configuration of the indentations 34, 34', the tang of the key in this retracted position is visible and accessible from the exterior of the housing as clearly indicated in Figs. 1 and 3. To release the key for use, one simply need press manually on the thus exposed portion of the tang. This will force the key post back to the inner ends of the slots 24, 24 so that when manual pressure is removed, the spring I4 will snap the key to its projected position.

Inasmuch as the walls 22, 22 are comparatively thin (in the order of 33e of an inch), the outer ends of said walls are somewhat flexible so that the pressure with which a person grasps the holder when the key is turned, suffices to bend the outer ends of said wall inwardly enough for the rib projections E0, S2, 60', 62' firmly to engage the tang of the key.

In Fig. 9, I have shown a key holder 8l] embodying a modified form of my invention which differs from the key holder I0 only in two respects, to- Wit, that the spring Ida instead of being a flat spring comprises a coil spring occupying substantially the same space as the flat spring I4. Instead of using an inflexible camming rib 56, the key holder 813 is provided with a resilient camming element in the form of a bowed leaf spring 32. One end of the camming spring is anchored to a side portion of the flange 32, the other end of said spring is free. The intermediate portion of the camming spring is in the path of travel of the tang of the key as the latter approaches retracted position. This intermediate portion of the spring projects into the space between the walls 22, 22 and will deflect toward the indentations 34, 34 a key approaching retracted position whereby when the post I6 comes into line with the reaches 42, 42 said post will be laterally displaced into said reaches.

It is pointed out that, if desired, one of the halves of the housing may be fiat on both sides, i. e. not provided with flanges or with ribs which define the spring-receiving cavity, in such case the ribs on the remaining half are stubbier than the flange 32 by an amount slightly in excess of the thickness of the key.

It thus will be seen that I have provided a key holder which achieves all the objects of my invention and is well adapted to meet the conditions of practical use.

As various possible embodiments might be made of the above invention, and as various changes might be made in the embodiment above set forth, it is to be understood that all matterl herein described, or shown in the accompanying drawings, is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

l. A key holder consisting of a housing, a spring, and a post having heads on both ends thereof, said housing comprising a pair of parallel spaced thin walls and means joining the side and inner edges of said walls to define an enclosed thin space, said housing being elongated in a direction from the outer end to the inner end thereof, said walls having a pair of registered y longitudinal slots in which said post is slidable, the inner ends of said slots having reaches extending laterally therefrom and in which said post is slidable, said reaches extending laterally a distance not less than half the width of the post and sloping back in the direction of the outer end of the housing, said housing having a longitudinally elongated cavity to receive said spring between the post and inner end of the housing for expansion in a direction longitudinally of the housing whereby said spring will urge toward the outer end of the housing a key carried by said post, said housing having a camming element therein in the region of the inner ends of the slots and on the opposite side of the housing from said reaches whereby said element will deflect in the direction said reaches extend a key carried by the post and pushed toward the inner end of the housing against the spring, said housing having an open indentation through which the tang of a key carried by the post is visible and accessible when the post is located in said reaches.

2. A key holder as set forth in claim 1 wherein the camming element is inflexible.

3. A key holder as set forth in claim 1 wherein the camming element is resilient.

4. A key holder as set forth in claim 1 wherein the spring-receiving cavity is dened by a pair of ribs on each of the inside surfaces of the walls of the housing.

5. A key holder as set forth in claim 1 wherein the slots extend beyond the outer end of the spring cavity in the housing.

6. A key holder consisting of a housing, a

f spring, and a post having heads on both ends thereof, said housing comprising a pair of parallel spaced thin walls and means joining the side and inner edges of said walls to define an enclosed thin space, said housing being elongated in a direction from the outer end to the inner end thereof. said walls having a pair of registered longitudinal slots in which said post is slidable, the inner ends of -said slots having reaches exl tending laterally therefrom and in which said post is slidable, said reaches extending laterally a distance not less than half the width of the post and sloping back in the direction of the outer end of the housing, said housing having a longitudinally elongated cavity to receive said spring for expansion in a direction longitudinally of the housing whereby said spring will urge toward the outer end of the housing a key carried by said post, said housing having an open indentation through which the tang of a key carried omissis-z is located in said reaches.

7. A*- ley li'older' cdrisistin'g' of a housing. a.

thereof, said? housing' con'iprising` a: p'airfof par allelspac'e'd thin Walls andmeans joining the sideand inner edges of saidY Walls'vtor dene an enel'osed-thin space; said.Y housing being. elongateda. distance not less than half the Width of the 1,

posty and sloping'back in the direction of the outer endofthe housingfsaid housing having a loriitudinallj;r elongated cavity to receive said spring for expansion' ina directior'iV longitudinally ofr the housing whereby said spring will urge 20;

si toward :thouterendf'of thehousin'g "aikey 'carriem` by 'said post.

SAMUEL -LEFlFz REFERENCES CITED The follc'n'ilir'ig` references'- are 'of record in-` the'z le of this limitent:v

UNITED? STATES, PATENTS 1 0" Number Name Date 1,885,957 Singleton Nov.' 15,1 1932-?A 1,934,1{889 Sega'1` r NOV. 14,1933'.v 1,966,59737' Sga1 July 17j 19342 1,.974",5 47j Slade 1 Sept. 25', 1934i 2j008398` Mang'ari' July 16, 1935i 2,676,895 Johnston Apr'. 13j 1937r 2,270,621V Brug'nonii r Jan. 20, 1942-' 21393;.3'73 Hendrix.' Jan. 22;.1946' 2,422g436 Plaudf Ji1ne11'7-,v 194i?l 

